artistically and beautifully laid out. Amongst the table decorations were observed eight brilliant-hued funguses on mossy beds, rivalling nature in their gorgeous colours; so correctly had these wooden specimens been painted in imitation of nature that many a remark was heard, "Is that a natural or is it an artificial fungus?" Sir Herbert Croft, President of the Club, in the absence, through indisposition, of the Rev. Sir George Cornewall, in returning thanks for the hospitable reception, was only obliged to desist from expatiating upon the charming surroundings with which the High Sheriff was blessed, by being reminded that trains, no less than tides, wait not even for members of the Woolhope Club. None of the members had to-day, in their devotion to the cause of science, tasted any of the suspicious funguses, and it is comforting to have to relate that a similar bewilderment did not influence their brains as occurred on the occasion of the previous visit of the mycologists to the same house in 1885, when the members, leaving to catch the train, took their neighbours' hats and coats for their own, nay, even went so far as to carry away the hat of a visitor in the house who was bound for a directly contrary part of the kingdom. Such amenities of science will occur occasionally.

Upon the return to Hereford the Annual Meeting was held in the Woolhope Club Room, when the Officers were elected for the ensuing session of 1892. There was no change in the Official Committee. Mr. Wm. Henry Barneby, of Bredenbury Court, was elected President; the Rev. Sir George H. Cornewall one of the Vice-Presidents. Mr. William Broome Giles, of Newport House, Almeley, was elected a member of the Club, and four names were submitted for election at a future meeting.

The Honorary Secretaries of the Archæological Section laid before the meeting a prospectus detailing the general scheme of their proposed Archæological Map of the county. A copy of this prospectus had been forwarded to every member of the Woolhope Club, and to 380 landowners and clergy, including any one whom they consider able and likely to further the progress of the undertaking. The following attended the Fungus Foray Meeting :-Sir Herbert Croft, Bart. (acting as President), Mr. T. B. Acton, Rev. J. O. Bevan, Mr. C. P. Bird, Captain Campbell, Mr. George Cresswell, Mr. R. Clarke, Dr. A. H. Crespi, Captain de Winton, Rev. C. S. Hagreen, Rev. E. J. Holloway, Mr. W. J. Humfrys, Rev. A. G. Jones, Rev. W. H. Lambert, Rev. H. North, Mr. T. C. Paris, Deputy-Surgeon-General William Perry, Mr. J. F. Symonds, Mr. Walter Pilley, Mr. H. G. Sugden, Rev. F. Stooke-Vaughan, Dr. J. H. Wood, Rev. R. H. Warner, Mr. Alfred Watkins, Mr. H. C. Moore (Honorary Secretary), and Mr. James B. Pilley (Assistant Secretary); with the following visitors: Mr. Hugh Croft, Mr. W. H. Jones, Rev. D. C. Moore, Mr. J. P. Sugden, Mr. S. E. Watkins, to whom the Club is indebted for conducting the Club over the ground.

Dinner took place in the Green Dragon Hotel, when a paper on "The Welsh Names of some Birds of Prey," was read by Mr. E. Cambridge Phillips, in which he pointed out an extraordinarily close analogy in some instances with Russian, Persian, and Turkish names. This was followed by a very elaborate, carefully prepared, and highly interesting paper by Dr. J. H. Wood on

"The Nepticulæ of the Woolhope District."

Mounted specimens of these beautiful moths, the most diminutive amongst our British moths, were exhibited by him. The paper displayed a highly creditable amount of original observation in the minutest details of entomological research.

On the following evening, Friday, October 9th, a lecture was given voluntarily by Mr. Cecil Carus-Wilson, F.G.S., F.R.G.S., Oxford University Extension Lecturer, on "Sands and Sandstones," with especial reference to Musical Sands. His lecture embraced an enumeration of the rocks, not even omitting the ice of the glacial regions, which form the "Crust" of the earth, the formation of sands by the disintegration of rocks, by the decay of the harder portions of organisms, and by the growth of crystals, the description of aqueous rock, of sands organic and inorganic, the causes of the colours of sands and sandstones, the properties of the various cementing materials which bind their grains together, the mechanical action of drifting sand upon rock-surfaces, the burial of towns and the encroachment upon the land by the formation and "march" of the dunes; the lecture being illustrated by diagrams, and numerous specimens. He exhibited the wonders of the sand-blast process by engravings upon glass, upon wood, and, more marvellous of all, by its capabilities of employment for the process of boring through so hard a rock as granite. Having most lucidly, fluently, and in language easily to be understood, and as free as possible from scientific long technical names, grounded his audience in the nature and properties of sands, he experimentally produced musical sands from the compression of sand-grains, and artificially produced musical sounds from non-musical sand-grains. Under six or seven microscopes on an adjoining table were exhibited foraminiferous sands from Dog's Bay, west coast of Ireland; millet-seed sands of the "Bunter" age, with rounded grains, a characteristic desert sand; sands from Bournemouth containing microscopic gems separated by Mr. Carus-Wilson's process; "Bagshot" sands; iron sand from Compton Bay, Isle of Wight, from which Mr. Carus-Wilson made the musical sand (see Nature for August 6th, 1891), Natural Musical Sand from the Island of Eigg in the Hebrides (see Cruise of the Betsy, by Hugh Miller, chapter iv.) In the latter work reference is also made to the hill of Reg Rawan, or the moving sand, about forty miles north of Cabul, described by Sir Alexander Burnes in 1837, and the Jabel Nakous, or the Mountain of the Bell, in Arabia, described by Lieutenant Welsted, of the Indian Navy, a few years earlier, as producing such strange music when walked upon, such a combination of tones, that it has, by various listeners been likened to the sound of a convent bell, a humming-top, the striking of a clock, the faint strains of an Eolian harp, or that produced by drawing the moistened finger over glass, whilst the warlike Zahor Ed-Din Muhammed Baber likens the sound from Reg-Rawan to that of drums and nagarets.

The attendance was open to ladies and visitors. Many members of the Woolhope Club and their families attended. Sir Herbert Croft, who presided, thanked the lecturer, and a very general approbation of his style and method of teaching was expressed, inasmuch as that, (as he was engaged for a course of

twelve lectures on the Elements of Geology at Malvern, Brecon, and probably Leominster), it was hoped that his services would be secured for a course in Hereford, commencing in the following January. The privilege of listening to lectures delivered in so simple and masterly a manner should not be lost when close within our grasp; they would produce that stimulus to the study of Geology for which so many members of the Woolhope Club have long been pining.

A few weeks before the above meeting, and about the date of September 14th, a discovery was made in the Brickyard at Pontrilas, at the depth of 8 feet below the ground-level, of a small enamelled gilt ornament, which has since been pronounced by the authorities of the British Museum to be a Book-boss or Shrineboss of early medieval date. It has been placed where it ought to be, namely, in our County Museum, having been presented by the Rev. M. G. Watkins.

ON THE WELSH NAMES OF BIRDS OF PREY.

By E. CAMBRIDGE PHILLIPS, F.L.S., M.B.O.U., M.P.I.O.C.

[Partly re-printed from The Zoologist for May, 1891. Re-written for the Woolhope Naturalists' Field Club; read October 8th, 1891.]

It is to be regretted that the Welsh names applied to certain species of birds at the present day are generic, and not specific. The deep Welsh known to cultured Welshmen is scarcely ever used in everyday life, and is now rarely or never written. Hence many of the old Welsh names of birds are likely to die out. Take, for example, the Welsh word, Giach, Snipe. This word expresses the vocal sound uttered by the Snipe in rising, but is applied equally to the Jack Snipe as well as to the Solitary Snipe, supposing (which I much doubt) the Welsh have a knowledge of the latter bird, which occasionally occurs in Wales.

Thanks, however, to the kindness of a fellow townsman, I have lately had the pleasure of consulting a rare old Welsh dictionary, which is more historical and descriptive than dictionaries usually are. It is by Edward Williams, Bardd Glas Morganwg (the blue Bard of Glamorganshire), and was printed in Brecon in 1826. It was evidently compiled by a man of considerable intelligence, who possessed some knowledge of birds, as will be seen by my notes on the Eagle, Owls, and Crows, many of which I have taken from it.

The Welsh name for the Kite is Barcud, pronounced Barkit, and sometimes in Carmarthenshire, Barcutan, plural Barcutanod. No other name seems to be in use for this bird, although a friend of mine, a native of Pembrokeshire, tells me that when a boy he well remembers a clever old keeper applying it to the Buzzard. Welsh boys at the present day, when flying their kites, call them "barcutan papur" (i.e., paper kites). In the Welsh Bible the word Kite is rendered Barcud (Levit. xi., 14, Job xxviii., 7). In the dictionary alluded to, Williams gives it as Barcud, Barcit, Barcitan, Barcut, Barcutan; English, a Kite; Cornish, Bargez ; Bretagne or Breton, which is nearly the same as the Welsh, Barquet. The word Barcud seems more generally used than Barcutan; and from the terminal cud, pronounced kit, comes our word Kite. Since some of these notes were first jotted down, I have had the pleasure of reading Mr. Harting's most interesting article on the Berkute or Bargut of Eastern Turkestan, which appeared in the Field of the 27th December last. In this he states that the name for the Eagle, which is trained for hawking by the Kirghis and Bashkyris, is variously spelled Berkute or Bearcoote; in Russia, Berkute. In Eastern Turkey it is Birgut and Bargut, whilst in Persian it is Bargut and Bargud. The similarity to the Welsh Barcud or Barcit is certainly very remarkable; and it is probably very ancient Welsh, which has been handed down from the earliest times, when possibly this name was generally applied to all large birds of prey in the semi-civilised world. From Mr. Harting's researches it would appear that the term is fairly general in Asia, and unknown in Europe, except where introduced into Russia and Turkey, until

Brittany is reached; then to be known in Cornwall; and finally, in all its purity, in Wales.

The Welsh for Eagle is Eryr; in Cornish and Breton, Er. Williams recognises three kinds viz., Eryr auraidd, the Golden Eagle; Eryr du, the Black Eagle; and Eryr gynffon wyn, the White-tailed Eagle. He adds that many Eagles were to be seen in Wales in his generation (1826). One was killed in 1776 (he does not specify the species, but probably a Golden Eagle), which he saw himself in a place called Llansanwr, near Cowbridge, Glamorganshire. It was shot in the act of killing a lamb, but its wing being only broken, it nearly killed a dog before it was despatched.

There is a place in North Wales, he says (which, however, he does not specify), called "The Eagles' Rocks," where these birds used to breed, and were still to be seen in 1826.

The Eagle, however, was never very common in Wales, as may be surmised from the above remarks; and this is borne out by the fact that, so far as I know, we have no rock or crag that bears its name in South Wales; although we have "The Beaver's Cave" on the Towy, and "The Wolf's Leap' on the Irvon, indicating that in bygone days both these animals inhabited this country.

Since writing the above I have received a letter from that excellent ornithologist, the Rev. Murray A. Matthew, who formerly resided in Pembrokeshire, in which he says that one of the highest points of the Precelly Mountains is known by the name of "Foel" or "Moel Eryr," the Eagle's Peak or Tump, but the only Eagle he has heard of in Pembrokeshire of late years was one seen by a Mr. Hugh Owen in the winter of 1851, in the neighbourhood of Haverfordwest, which frequented the covers of Picton and Slebech for some time and escaped being shot. This was probably a young White-tailed Eagle, as one is in Lord Cawdor's collection at Stackpole Court which was shot about that time. Immature examples of the White-tailed Eagle (Haliaëtus Albicilla) are observed from time to time on the Sea-bound Counties of England and Wales in autumn and winter when the young birds reared in the North of Europe are migrating towards the South; adults, however, are of very rare occurrence (Saunders): I mention this to show that the bird in question was not bred in Wales.

The Buzzard in Welsh is called Boda, plural Bodaod, and this name is in general use in Breconshire, and in Carmarthenshire; sometimes, though rarely, the word Buncath is used, but this is applied to any large bird, such as Buzzard or even Bittern.

I hear there is an Inn near St. David's, Pembrokeshire, with the sign "Boncath Inn," i.e., "Buzzard's Inn," and at the present time I am pleased to add that there are still a good many Buzzards in North Pembrokeshire.

The Peregrine Falcon, or Hunting Falcon is Hebog; a Falconer is Hebogydd, i.e., one who hunts with Hawks. Sometimes Gwalch is given for Hawk, and Gwalchur, a Hawker, i.e., a man accustomed to catch birds with a Hawk (Hebog, Williams). The words Hebog and Gwalch are probably synonymous. The Imperial Dictionary, however, gives the word Gwalch as Welsh for Falcon, and adds that it means literally "a crested one." If this is so then it is possible that